Non-H-2 and H-2-linked immune response genes control the cytotoxic T-cell response to H-Y.
The immunoregulation of cytotoxic T-cell responses to the male-specific antigen H-Y in mice has been found to be genetically controlled by genes of the major histocompatibility complex (H-2). Responsiveness was mainly confined to H-2b strains, but it has also been found in recombinant strains, F1 hybrids, and chimeras that carry at least part of the H-2b haplotype. By using a different immunization procedure it has been shown recently that an H-2k mouse strain (CBA) is also able to mount an equivalent H-Y-specific response. We investigate here, by applying this immunization technique, the responsiveness of other H-2k strains and of strains of other independent H-2 haplotypes. Both responders and nonresponders are found in three haplotypes: k, s, and d. The strain distribution pattern of responsiveness shows a combined influence of non-H-2 and H-2 genes. In certain strains there is a high variability in responsiveness between genetically identical individual animals. We discuss a model of immune response (Ir) gene function which could account for these observations.
D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006182:H-Y Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D007114:Immunization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D006183:H-2 Antigens; D006182:H-Y Antigen